Electrical devices may use switches to control the conduction of current, such as to allow conduction or to stop conduction, from a power source to one or more loads. Some electrical devices may be used in harsh conditions and, as a result, have limited options for power supply, drive controls, and cabling. For example, electric submersible pumps (ESPs) can be used in oil wells or the like. The ESPs may need to be controlled to pump oil or other compounds out of wells that extend great depths into the earth. Since the ESPs operate at significant depths, pulling an ESP to the surface for repair and/or to replace a component can be costly and time-consuming, and also may force a resource-extraction process to stop or at least slow down until the ESP is returned to the well.
Furthermore, the pumps, motors, electrical switches, drive controls, and the like, of the ESPs can be subjected to harsh conditions, such as temperatures in excess of 200 degrees Celsius and/or pressures in excess of 20,000 pounds per square inch (e.g., 138,000 kilopascals). These conditions can limit the available mechanical switching solutions to control when multiple phases of current are supplied to the ESPs to control the operation thereof.
Additionally, the ESPs may be located at significant depths within the wells. In order to supply multiple phases of current to an ESP, multiple power cables or wires can be installed to extend from the surface down the well to the ESP to separately deliver different phases of current to the ESP on different power cables or wires. Additional signal cables or wires are used to provide drive signals for the ESP and/or control signals for various electrical switches and other devices for operating the ESP. The lengths of cables or wires needed to deliver the current can be a significant cost to operate the ESPs, and in some circumstances can be approximately 40% or more of the total cost to operate the ESPs.